1. Technical Field
The present invention refers to an oscillating table, specifically to an oscillating table of an ingot mould, used in plants for the production of metal products, such as thick slab, with a quadrangular section, having longitudinal sides with a length far greater with respect to the transverse sides.
2. State of the Art
Traditional oscillating tables for the production of thick slabs have been described in various patent documents.
Of these, the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,957 describes an oscillation device for the continuous casting of thick slabs comprising an ingot mould suited to oscillating in the casting direction. This ingot mould is mounted on springs that act as guiding elements, blocked at both ends to fixing supports of a support structure fixed to the ground. Specifically, it provides two pairs of springs that extend transversely to the casting direction, each pair being arranged on a vertical plane parallel to the narrow sides of the ingot mould. The ingot mould is made to oscillate thanks to the connection thereof with hydraulic oscillation means, arranged below each of the pairs of springs. Such hydraulic means are fixed at one end to the fixed support structure, and at the other end they act on part of the ingot mould that constitutes the fixing block of the same ingot mould to the springs.
Disadvantageously, in order to assure a high guiding precision of the ingot mould and therefore avoid other types of movement outside the oscillation motion in the casting direction only, this oscillation device or oscillating table provides a cumbersome structure and a high overall weight. For example, it is necessary to use springs of considerable dimensions to avoid any movement of the ingot mould in the longitudinal direction, defined as the horizontal direction parallel to the long sides of the ingot mould.
Furthermore, springs, fixing block of the ingot mould to said springs and the same support structure have considerable encumbrance and weight also to prevent roll movements on both the longitudinal plane, parallel to the long sides of the ingot mould, and on the transverse plane, parallel to the short sides of the ingot mould, which could be caused by parallel moments acting on the aforesaid planes respectively. Only with these features it is in fact possible to avoid deviations and displacements of the ingot mould from the guiding trajectory desired.
A further disadvantage of this oscillating table is therefore that of necessitating higher actuation forces, i.e. of a large dimension oscillation control. Furthermore, the duration of the springs is limited due to the high alternated flexion stresses that result due to the high inertia.
The need is therefore felt to provide an innovative oscillating table for thick slabs that makes it possible to overcome the above drawbacks.